OVER 12,000 people were evacuated and hundreds of houses were damaged at the height of Typhoon Ambo (Vongfong), which barreled through densely populated and mostly poor communities in the three provinces of Samar Island Thursday afternoon, May 14.
Four persons were also reportedly injured in Can-avid, Eastern Samar, while no one was reported missing.
As of 2 p.m. Friday, May 15, 232 persons and 110 vehicles were stranded in Allen port, Northern Samar.
A total of 546 evacuation centers were established across the Eastern Visayas region, with 136 in Northern Samar, 47 in Samar, 23 in Eastern Samar, 282 in Leyte, and 58 in Biliran.
The total number of evacuated persons reached 12,805, mostly in Northern Samar with 10,726, and Samar with 2,079.
Earlier, Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone said the whole province has no electricity.
Communication lines were cut in the towns of Dolores, Oras, Arteche, Jipapad, and San Policarpo, where Ambo made its first landfall.
Some houses, which are made of light materials, were damaged.
Other damaged houses and infrastructure in Eastern Samar were reported particularly in the towns of Arteche, San Policarpo, Jipapad and Oras.
A gymnasium in Maslog, Eastern Samar was destroyed.
Damaged houses and infrastructure in Northern Samar were reported particularly in the municipalities of Bobon, Laoang, Lope de Vega, and Mondragon.
The estimated number of houses damaged was 355, with 200 in Lope de Vega and 150 in Laoang, Northern Samar and five in Samar, according to Lieutenant Colonel Ma. Bella Rentuaya, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Eastern Visayas.
A seawall of pier 1 in Catbalogan City, Samar was also damaged due to continuous hitting by a cargo vessel that was detached from its anchor.
Authorities reported damage in agriculture and fisheries in Bobon, Laoang, Lope de Vega, and Mondragon, all in Northern Samar.
Flooding was reported in the national highway of Sitio Napires, Barangay Zone 3, San Roque, Northern Samar.
The road from Barangay Buray, Paranas, Samar to Taft, Eastern Samar was closed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as it was prone to landslide.
According to Rentuaya, they have deployed 133 search and rescue personnel, with 110 in Northern Samar Provincial Police Office (NSPPO) and 23 in Samar Provincial Police Office (SPPO).
Total number of search and rescue personnel on standby is 1,296.
On Friday morning, at least 48 municipalities are without electricity, with four in Eastern Samar, 24 in Northern Samar, 18 in Samar, and two in Biliran.
Cellphone signal is "intermittent" in Northern Samar, while four towns in Eastern Samar -- Arteche, San Policarpo, Jipapad, and Oras -- still do not have cellphone signal.
No looting incidents were reported. (SunStar Philippines)